Thank you for your

purchase from Physics

Playground. I, Frederick

Graff, am a physics/

chemistry teacher here in

Tracy California and have

been producing high volt-

age equipment for the past

8 years and truly hope you

enjoy your electrostatic

generator and lab supplies

and find it more than suita-

ble for all your experimen-

tation needs. It has been a

personal goal of mine to

make science lab equip-

ment that far surpass the

integrity of the foreign

manufactured items that

have flooded the market.

These generators are

guaranteed to deliver un-

conventional levels of

voltage and current that

will do all of the static

electricity demos known

to high voltage communi-

ty. Once again, thank

you for your purchase

and should any questions,

comments, or concerns

arise along the way,

please do not hesitate to

contact me at frederick-

graff@hotmail.com or (209)914-2619.

About Physics Playground

How a Van de Graaf Generator Works

VDG’s operate just like a

conveyor belt for charge in

the sense that they pick up

negatively charged electrons

from the bottom and take

them to the top where the

electrons are dropped off.

The mechanism that allows

the electrons to be picked up

from the bottom is that the

lower roller is made from

material that can develop a

positive charge that in turn

attracts the electrons from

the bottom of the comb and

flings them toward the belt

which then transports them

to the top. When the nega-

tive electrons reach the top

they are repelled off the belt

Physics Playground

Van de Graaff Generator Instructions

HV Supplier for:

400KV DC or AC Pow-

ered VDG (built /kit)

450 KV High Current

VDG (built / kit)

600 KV High Current

VDG (built / kit)

700 KV High Current

VDG (built / kit)

1 MV VDG (built only)

VDG Parts

Jacobs Ladder

Oil Distillation

Table of Contents

High Current VDG

Assembly

2

AC & DC Powered

VDG Assembly

3

VDG Safety 4

VDG Maintenance 4

Trouble Shooting 5

Demonstrations 5

Warranty and Re-

placement Parts

6

-tive electrons reach the top they are re-

pelled off the belt by the top roller which

is made from a material that can produce

a negative charge. Factors that affect the

strength of a VDG would be the belt

speed, the ability of the rollers to develop

positive and negative charges (refer to

tribolelectric series), and the size of the

sphere which hold the electrons.

How a VDG Works (cont.)

Van De Graaff AC High Current Assembly

STEP 5) The static belt is fastened by first attaching the top roller and then feeding the belt down through the tube. From the bottom opening, reach up and grab the belt and place the bottom nylon roller through the belt and then connect the roll-er into the bottom insertion holes. While connecting the roller, always keep one hand through the belt incase the roller slips from you. There will be a signifi-cant amount of tension within the belt system. STEP 6) The top and bottom metal combs should be spaced about a 1/4 inch from the belt and facing toward the belt so that they may spray the electrons to and from it. The combs should never touch the belt during operation and will tear the belt if they do.

STEP 1) Attach the bottom comb to the base using the 10-24 x 3/8 machine screw.. STEP 2) Bolt in the large tube to the base of the VDG using the metal or nylon ma-chine screws and wing nuts provided. Next, feed the grounding wire through the back hole of the tube and connect male and female terminals STEP 3) Attach the top aluminum support system using the smaller nylon screws and nylon wing nut. The 600KV and the 700KV units will have the support system on the outside of the tubing and the 400KV and 450KV units will fasten from the in-side. STEP 4) For optimal performance prepare the belt and both rollers by cleaning them with lightly soaped water to remove any form of dirt or oil and then dry them using a paper towel. For best results, rinse the belt and rollers with distilled or filtered water.

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Physics Playground

700 KV VDG used by Mad

Science , MIT , and Holly-

wood for special effects

Extend the belt life by no letting

the combs touch the belt while

in operation. For best results

use a 1/4 inch gap.

For 400 KV, 450 KV HC , 600 KV HC, 700 KV, and 1 MV Units

STEP 7) Fasten the dome on to the alumi-

num support system using the nylon thumb

screw. For the 400KV through 450KV

VDG’s, the dome should press down on

the white insulation to prevent leakage.

VDG Operation: For the high current

systems, before turning on, make sure the

speed control is at least 6 feet from the

generator. If the speed control is touched

by a person near the generator, the control

may be destroyed. For this reason, the

speed controls will not be covered under

warranty.

When testing the VDG, it may take up to

10 minutes before it develops a charge

considering that the belt are rollers were

cleaned. To accelerate the process blow

a hair dryer up the tubing to push out any

moisture.

Van de Graaf Assembly (Cont.)

400 KV VDG DC and AC Powered Assembly

power supplies may be used as listed bel-low. Battery Power Supplies: Any 6 Volt battery 4 Cell AA battery holder AC to DC Power supplies: Most AC to DC power supplies may be found on eBay for less than 5 dollars with shipping included. 5V at 2A - 3A 6V at 2A - 3A 7V at 2A - 3A Any lab power supply that can deliver at least

3 amps of current.

These VDGs are designed to operate at much higher currents and voltages than the typical manufactured units, therefore the AC to DC plug in power supplies may easily be damaged if they are interrupted by the current produced from the VDG. To avoid damaging the plug in power supply:

Do not touch power supply while touching the generator.

STEP 1) For best results, first clean the belt and rollers with lightly soaped water and then rinse with a distilled or filtered water. 300KV and 350KV bottom rollers may be pulled off. STEP 2) Attach the acrylic tube to the base with the 10-24 nylon machine screws. STEP 3) Attach the top support system by using the 8-32 x 5/8 nylon screws and thumb nuts. The support system stays on the inside of the tube. STEP 4) Attach the belt and rollers. STEP 5) For the DC systems only, there will be a ground wire attached to the bot-tom comb, that is used to transport elec-trons for charging. This ground wire should be clamped to an item in the area that is Earth grounded such as a sink, gas port, or metal structure. The ground wire may even be held onto, however it will not work as well as an Earth ground. STEP 4) The DC powered VDGs will come with a 6 volt battery however other

Page 3

www.physicsplayground.com

This rechargeable 6 volt battery

makes a great power supply due to

its voltage, current, and longevity.

This battery also very easily tucks

into the side behind the motor.

VDG Operation: 1) Plug in VDG. Some VDG’s may need an

initial push on the roller due to the sticky high friction top roller. This will only need done the first few times.

2) Allow the system to run to 10 minutes for system to wear in. Use a hair dryer on the bottom roller if charge is lagging.

3) VDGs will have a constant duty cycle. 4) AC powered VDGs should not be ran at full

speed because of the strength of the motor. Only go 80 to 90% full speed.

Acetones, alcohol, and

thinners will crack the

acrylic.

3) The VDG Latex belt will

oxidize in UV light. When

finished using, place the

VDG in a light protected

area or remove the static

belt.

4) Should the belts ever tear,

1) Both belt and rollers should

be washed with lightly

soaped water after every 2

hours of use. Do not allow

water to get on the bearings

while washing. VDGs will

attract dust due to the high

voltage.

2) When cleaning the VDG,

only use soap and water.

use “Gorilla Super Glue”

to re-mend if salvageable..

5) The top roller should be

recoated with Pliobond

after 20 hours of use.

400 KV and 350 KV DC Assembly (Cont.)

All VDG Maintenance

All VDG Safety

5) Avoid using high voltage capacitors around

the VDG.

6) Arcs from VDG will produce small welts on

body.

7) Operate in a well ventilated area due to the

ozone produced by VDG.

1) Always keep VDGs away from people with

pacemakers.

2) Keep VDGs away from electronics. Do not

use VDG’s on the same breaker as computers

and AV equipment.

3) To prevent damaging the speed control, keep it

at least 6 to 8 feet from the VDG. If you feel

sparks on the handle of the speed control,

move the control back further.

4) Avoid making human chains that will produce

large discharge currents and voltages.

Page 4

Physics Playground

Only use the Gorilla

Super Glue to mend

belt material

Touching the speed

control while near the

VDG will destroy it!

Van de Graaf generators have two main obstacles

that will stop them from working being oil and

water. When the VDG first arrives, it is always

necessary that the rollers be rewashed and dried

before using so that any oil that may have contami-

nated the system during shipping be removed.

Once the VDG is operating, the high voltage pro-

duced will continue to attract dust and any suspend-

ed oils from the air, therefore it is necessary that the

system be regularly cleaned to remove these con-

taminates.

If the system is washed and it still does not pro-

duce a spark, allow it to operate for at least 10

minutes especially for the newer VDG so that the

rollers may ware into the belt. Many often find that

the more they use the VDG, the stronger it gets. To

accelerate the VDG to full operation, it is best to

blow a hair dryer through the bottom opening while

the VDG is running. Should the system still be

struggling to produce high currents, rewash the belt

and rollers though it is rare to have to do so.

Humidity will significantly deter the performance

of the VDG if not completely stop it from produc-

ing a charge. All of the Physics Playground gener-

ators are designed to operate in very high humidity

conditions up to 85%. To alleviate humidity condi-

tions, a hair dryer may be blown up the tubing

while in operation in order to push out moisture or

the unit may be ran in a air conditioned environ-

ment.

Quick Tips:

Keep the VDG Clean of oil and dust

Allow up to 10 minutes of run time after

cleaning belt and rollers for full current to

develop.

Use a hair dryer to push out humidity.

1) Insulate yourself using a milk crate and then

either place your hand on the generator or point an

unfolded paper clip at the generator (this works

well for those who do not want to touch it). Look

up and you will see your hair standing on end.

While being charged, try the following:

Open your hands and then close them. There

will be a very weird feeling all over your body

as the voltage jumps from 400KV to 100KV

and then back again.

Point at your neighbor. You will shooting

electrons at them.

Hold a fluorescent tube and have another

touch it to light it up or you point at the tube

while your neighbor holds it.

Put pie pans on your head while being charged

and then let them go.

Hold an ion motor in your hands and watch it

spin.

Have your neighbor stand on a milk crate and

point at them while being charged and their hair

will stand up to.

Hold either a balloon in your hand, cup of pop-

corn, a cup of Styrofoam packing balls, paper,

or anything insulative and light and then watch

it fly.

Hold on to a Hailstorm static motor.

2) VDGs are also ideal for making electrostatic

motors. You may find more on electrostatic

motors at www.phyicsplaygournd.com

3) VDGs maybe used for particle accelerators,

enhancing plant growth, separating fine parti-

cles, high voltage effects, and haunted house

props plus much more.

VDG Trouble Shooting

Van de Graaf Generator Demos

Page 5

www.physicsplayground.com

Use to recoat the top roller

with Pliobond if roller shows

signs of significant wear

over time. Pliobond may be

purchased at most ACE

hardware stores.

Volta’s Hailstorm is a

simple static motor that

shows the transfer of

electrons.

Stand on a milk carte and point to the VDG with a point-

ed paper clip. That’s all!

Physics Playground Contact Information

Email: Use web response from website

Personal Email: frederickgraff@hotmail.com

Contact Number: 1(209) 914-2619

Physics Playground is a small and growing business that has been started by

Frederick Graff, a mechanical engineer graduate from Penn State and employ-

ee of United Technologies that had taken on the passion of education in hope

to inspire and guide the youth into the sciences. The origin of the business was

rooted in the lacking California educational budget to adequately supply the

equipment to operate a physics and chemistry lab class. To supplement the

equipment such as acceleration ramps, power supplies and electrostatics,

Frederick began the task of building his own lap equipment, which eventually

brought forth the first Graff made VDG as seen in the photo bellow. Years later

with hundreds of hours of perfecting the static generator design, Physics Play-

ground is pleased to present a product listing of the strongest and most effi-

ciently operating VDG’s the market has to offer. Many thanks for your pur-

chase and be sure to always pass on the love for science and search for the

greater truth!

Physics Playground www.physicsplayground.com

Consumable Parts: Please visit Phys-ics playground for replacement parts. Both belt material and pre-made belts will be sold on the website. For those who wish to mend their own belts, the belt sizes are listed below.

400KV VDGs: (2 in x 35 in)

450KV High Current VDG: (3.5 in x 34 in)

500KV and 700KV High Current VDGs:

(4.5 in x 48 inch)

Warranty: Physics Playground gener -ators and high voltage equipment are covered under a one year warranty accept for static belts and speed controls (or AC to DC converter power supplies) Signs of rough use such as dropping, over tight-ening hardware, and exposure to caustic chemicals will dismiss the equipment from eligibility of the warranty. Prior to sending the replacement part, the buyer must email a photo of the dam-aged part to frederickgraff@hotmail.com for verification. All replacement parts will be shipped within 4 business days.

~Physics Playground for custom

high voltage equipment~

Www.physicsplayground.com

Physics Playground Warranty

and Replacement Parts